Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Ministry of Defence

Oral Answers to Questions

John Bercow Excerpts
Monday 18th January 2016

(8 years, 2 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Julian Brazier Portrait Mr Brazier
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I share my hon. Friend’s concern in this area. He may wish to put a question on that to the excellent Under-Secretary of State for Defence, my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Milton Keynes North (Mark Lancaster), who has responsibility for veterans, shortly.

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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Well, he cannot do so now. The operative word is “shortly”, but how shortly remains to be seen. That is not in the mind of the hon. Member for Plymouth, Moor View (Johnny Mercer), nor at the moment in mine.

Martin Docherty-Hughes Portrait Martin John Docherty (West Dunbartonshire) (SNP)
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Will the Minister advise the House what impact a Brit exit, if there is one this year or next, would have on our armed services personnel currently in operations with the European Union overseas?

Julian Brazier Portrait Mr Brazier
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As far as I can see, none.

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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Splendid pithiness.

David Nuttall Portrait Mr David Nuttall (Bury North) (Con)
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The Minister is quite right to remind the House that the cornerstone of our national security is our membership of NATO. Does he agree that if the British people vote to leave the European Union, as I hope they do, there is absolutely nothing to stop this country working with our European neighbours and co-operating on defence matters, should they choose to do so?

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John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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The hon. Member for Aldershot (Sir Gerald Howarth) can now draw breath.

Philip Dunne Portrait Mr Dunne
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I am grateful to my hon. Friend for giving me the credit for establishing the UK Defence Solutions Centre, but I think it is only fair to the House, and indeed to my future career, if I place the credit where it is properly due: at the feet of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, in his former role. I enjoyed our visit to UKDSC last week. It is doing a great job in placing UK innovation at the heart of the defence industrial supply chain globally. I am sure that my hon. Friend will have noted that the strategic defence and security review referred to investing in a unique British capability for advanced high-altitude surveillance, which I know will be of interest to him.